Faced with Yang Wudi's question, Yang Podi thought for a moment before speaking.
"Grandpa, the two of us entered Sunset Forest without carrying any bags. Clearly, they were certain you had a Soul Tool on you. Soul Tools are generally quite valuable, so you must at least have some wealth."
"Grandpa, when you brought me into Soul Hunting Forest, they knew you might have some strength. Just now, they weren't planning to surround and attack you at first. Their real target was probably me. They wanted to use me to make you hesitate to strike the rat for fear of breaking the vase."
"Grandpa, you probably killed them all just now to stop them from going out and tipping anyone off."
"Also, when you told me to search their bodies, you probably wanted me to see blood and understand the cruelty of the Soul Master World."
Hearing this, Yang Wudi nodded. "Good, Podi. Understanding so much in such a short time is very good indeed."
"Why did I kill all five of them just now? It wasn't because I was afraid someone would tip others off, but because I wanted to teach you something. In the Soul Master World, once you act, you must cut the weeds out by the roots. Otherwise, there will be no end to future trouble."
"There's another point. Did you notice my attacks just now? I attacked all five in succession and killed them before they could make a move against you. Much of the time, our Soul Breaking Spear emphasizes flexibility and ending battles quickly. If you want to follow a path of pure strength, how would you handle a situation like that?"
"And most importantly, our Breaking Clan is a clan of fighters. Every one of us is a born warrior, and we will not bow to any threat. If they really had captured you, my Soul Breaking Spear would only have struck more swiftly and fiercely, without any hesitation. This is also the foundation of the strength of our Breaking Clan and the Soul Breaking Spear."
Hearing this, Yang Podi couldn't help swallowing. It seemed he really had been living in comfort, forgetting the foundations of his clan as well as the cruelty of this world.
"Podi, think carefully about what I just said. If you come up with anything, tell me."
After that, both of them fell silent.
Yang Podi carefully considered his grandfather's words. In the original story, only a little over a hundred direct descendants of the Breaking Clan remained in the end, yet even then, they had never stopped opposing Spirit Hall. It was precisely this fearless, indomitable spirit that allowed his grandfather to fight a Titled Douluo with the strength of a Soul Douluo.
At this thought, Yang Podi couldn't help wondering whether he could be like his grandfather in the future. Could he possess strength like his grandfather's? The Soul Breaking Spear Technique had been developed through generations of research by the Yang family. Was his path of pure strength really, truly feasible?
He spent the night thinking like this, unable to fall asleep for a long time. In the end, he didn't even know how he had fallen asleep.
Early the next morning, Yang Podi slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was his grandfather's large face, which seemed to be studying him closely. He immediately jumped in fright.
Yang Wudi was momentarily speechless. Was he that frightening? Even his own grandson had been scared out of his wits.
But by now, Yang Wudi had returned to his usual kindly manner. "Podi, it was actually a little too early to tell you so much yesterday, but you should still reflect on it carefully."
"Grandpa, I thought it over carefully last night. I'm still determined to follow the path of pure strength, no matter how difficult it is."
"Good, Podi. Grandpa believes you'll succeed. But first, let me teach you one more thing. In Soul Hunting Forest, you must never sleep deeply, no matter when it is. You must stay alert at all times."
"All right, Grandpa. I understand." Although Yang Podi said he understood, he couldn't help grumbling inwardly. I'm only six years old. I'm out here with my grandfather, a peak Soul Saint, and I still have to rely on myself to stay alert? Isn't that a bit of a rip-off?
After eating a little breakfast, the two set off again, searching Sunset Forest for Soul Beasts.
Their luck seemed good today. They soon found a decent Soul Beast. There was a nest in the distance, clearly a Qian Jun Ant's nest.
Countless Qian Jun Ants moved around the nest. One of them was particularly large, measuring more than seven and a half inches long, almost eight inches.
Qian Jun Ants were a very common kind of Soul Beast in any Soul Beast forest, and their numbers were enormous. However, most were Ten-Year Soul Beasts, and relatively few broke through to a hundred years.
Qian Jun Ants were Soul Beasts with extremely tenacious vitality, outstanding bodily defenses, and an exceptional ability to withstand blows. Their strength was also extraordinary, far out of proportion to their bodies. Precisely because of this, Qian Jun Ants were also the favorites of all strength-type Soul Masters, providing an astonishing strength boost.
Generally speaking, a Qian Jun Ant with ten years of cultivation was about three inches long, with only a pair of saber-like teeth at its mouth that could bite through hard objects. A Qian Jun Ant with a hundred years of cultivation would not exceed six inches in length. Only after reaching a thousand years of cultivation could it possibly grow to a foot long. Qian Jun Ants over a thousand years old were exceedingly rare and extremely difficult to find.
The largest Qian Jun Ant anyone had heard of so far was only about a meter long, with over thirty thousand years of cultivation.
Some time ago, Tai Tan, the patriarch of the Strength Clan, had broken through to Soul Douluo, and the patriarchs of the four single-attribute clans had gone together to hunt for a Soul Ring. According to Yang Wudi, that thirty-thousand-year-old Qian Jun Ant had incredibly powerful defenses. Even he had expended considerable effort to break through its defenses, and its strength was even more outrageous, no less than that of an ordinary seventy- or eighty-thousand-year-old Soul Beast. If Yang Wudi hadn't intervened, Tai Tan might not even have been able to defeat that thirty-thousand-year-old Qian Jun Ant.
"Podi, that large Qian Jun Ant is probably over five hundred years old, close to six hundred. What do you think?"
"Grandpa, aren't there any better Soul Beasts? Qian Jun Ants always seem a little lacking in strength. Why don't we keep looking and see if there are any dragon-type Soul Beasts or something?"
Yang Podi couldn't help grumbling inwardly. I'm a transmigrator, yet I'm actually taking an ant as my first Soul Ring. It just feels too low-grade.
"Podi, this is something you don't understand. For strength-type Soul Masters, Qian Jun Ants are exceptional. Even I envy the Soul Skill effect of old Tai Tan's eighth Soul Ring. More importantly, his own physical strength also increased considerably."
After thinking for a moment, Yang Podi finally spoke. "Grandpa, let's take this Qian Jun Ant. Sorry for the trouble, but please help me catch it."
Hearing this, Yang Wudi nodded. Then he rushed toward the swarm of Qian Jun Ants. With a shudder of the Soul Breaking Spear's shaft, he sent all the smaller Qian Jun Ants nearby flying, then thrust his spear at the large one. That single thrust left a large wound in the Qian Jun Ant's body, blood pouring out in a torrent.
Before the other Qian Jun Ants could react, he grabbed that Qian Jun Ant and swiftly left.
With Yang Wudi's strength as a peak Soul Saint, dealing with a mere Hundred-Year Soul Beast was child's play.
After returning, Yang Wudi didn't linger. Instead, he took Yang Podi's hand and quickly left. They were far too close to the Qian Jun Ants' nest. To absorb the Soul Ring, they needed to go farther away to prevent any unexpected developments.